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FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 28, 2023) — Public meetings at which active anglers and hunters may nominate individuals to represent the 2nd, 3rd and 8th districts on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission are scheduled Dec. 7 in Bowling Green and Dec. 8 in Shelbyville and Mt. Sterling.
The nine-member commission meets quarterly in Frankfort to help provide oversight of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and guide development of the state’s regulations on hunting, fishing, boating and conservation.
Prospective members of the volunteer board are nominated at public meetings held by the department, when seated members’ terms near expiration or as commission seats need to be filled otherwise. Lists of nominees are then provided to the governor, who selects one nominee from each district for appointment to the commission. Appointments must then be confirmed by the Kentucky Senate.
Nomination meetings for the 2nd, 3rd and 8th districts were held last fall, and the governor appointed individuals to fill the seats from the lists of nominees. However, the three appointees were not confirmed by the state Senate during the 2023 legislative session
Under state law (KRS 12.070), the governor may reject nominee lists for commission appointments and require other lists be submitted.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife was informed Nov. 17 that the lists of remaining nominees chosen at the 2022 meetings had been rejected, thus requiring additional public meetings in order to produce new lists of nominees for the three district vacancies.
The meeting to nominate candidates for the 2nd District will be held Dec. 7 at the Warren County Extension Office, 5162 Russellville Road, Bowling Green. Doors for the meeting open at 6 p.m. (Central time), with the meeting to start at 7:30 p.m. The 2nd District includes Allen, Butler, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, Logan, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Simpson, Todd, Union, Warren and Webster counties.
The meeting to nominate candidates for the 3rd District will be held Dec. 8 at the Shelby County Extension Office, 1117 Frankfort Road, Shelbyville. Doors for the meeting open at 6 p.m. (Eastern time), with the meeting to start at 7:30 p.m. The 3rd District includes Breckinridge, Bullitt, Jefferson, Meade, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties.
The meeting to nominate candidates for the 8th District will be held Dec. 8 at the Montgomery County Extension Office, 106 East Locust Street, Mt. Sterling. Doors for the meeting open at 6 p.m. (Eastern time), with the meeting to start at 7:30 p.m. The 8th District includes Bath, Bourbon, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Rowan and Wolfe counties.
Up to five people may be nominated at each meeting. If more than five candidates are nominated at a meeting, voting is conducted to select the top five candidates for consideration by the governor.
Those eligible to nominate prospective members and vote include residents of their district who purchased a Kentucky hunting or fishing license for the past two consecutive years, or those who hunted or fished for the past two years but were license exempt. Landowners who hunt or fish on their own property are license exempt.
By law, nominees for a commission seat must be current residents of their respective districts and must have legally hunted and fished for the past five consecutive years. They must be well informed about wildlife conservation and restoration. They cannot be convicted felons.
Find out more by going online to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at fw.ky.gov. Search under the keyword “commission” to learn more about the board and its role in conservation.
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